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5 dead, 6 injured in car crash

TBILISI, DFWatch–Five people died and six were seriously injured in a car crash in northwestern Georgia on Friday.

Two cars, a Ford and an Opel, crashed between the villages Lia and Jvari near Tsalenjikha in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti.

The accident happened late in the evening. Four people died instantly, while one passed away some time later.

The six who survived with injuries were brought to hospitals in Zugdidi, Kutaisi and the capital. They are between 20 and 30 years of age.

Roland Akhalaia, head doctor at Zugdidi Republican Hospital, says that the three men who were most seriously injured in the accident have had surgery and their condition is now satisfactory.

The reason for the accident is unknown.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), an investigation has been launched based on article 276 of the Criminal Code about violation of traffic rules resulting in the death of one or more persons.

MIA’s webpage offers statistics from six months of 2015 which shows that from January to June, 284 people died in car accidents, while 4,130 people were injured. Most of the accidents happened in Tbilisi.

According to Deputy Interior Minister Shalva Khutsishvili, the number of car accidents annually is increasing.

President of the Automobile Federation and member of Tbilisi Council, Shalva Ogbaidze said Georgia is one the countries in the world with most traffic accidents.

“There are 16-17 cases in Georgia per 100,000 people, while in European states there are only 3-5 cases,” he said.